Texas Country music star Aaron Watson just released his 11th album Real Good Time on October 9th, and on the album the Amarillo native makes a good, healthy jab at the “country rap” phenomenon infecting country music’s airwaves. Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, and the rest of the laundry list country rap crowd are lampooned by a song that is so well written in the country rap vein, the only way you know it’s not the real deal is the disclaimer in the song’s title that reads in total, “My Contribution To Ruining Country Music Country Song! Ha!”

Watson told the story behind the song when performing it live this summer as part of the Nutty Brown Cafe / KVET free concert series in Austin.

Something about a dirt road? Yeah. And then there was a trend where a few of them were rapping. And I said we need a spoof. I need a spoof song, you know what I’m saying? I recorded it with my good buddy Sam. And Sam said, “If you want to have a spoof, a little tongue and cheek, you’re gonna have to rap.” I said, “Sam, I don’t think I can do it.” But I rose to the occasion, or I lowered myself to the occasion. And this is not an honest to God attempt to ruin country music like everybody else. It’s the worst song I’ve ever written, I’m admitting that.

Or maybe it’s one of the best. When you’ve been writing real, heartfelt country music for the last dozen years, switching gears and going the other way and doing it with such wit and insight on how the other side of the music world works takes quite a measure of creativity and fortitude. Stupid bloggers like me can peck away at keyboards all day preaching to choirs, but the artists that fans look up to have the power to persuade, or in this case, point out the obvious that what is being sold to many country folks is a false bag of goods.

Aaron Watson is one of the good guys. Writing and performing a song like this takes guts.

43 Comments

The guy is a genuis. Greatness. He really does have a long history of putting out solid country music. He is also a heckuva a preformer. This is a heckuva a way to take a stab at the country rap BS love it.

This is pretty funny. But, I’m wondering if there are any country artists out there today that are capable of doing a true, foul-mouthed and mean lampooning of country rap. I was thinking something along the lines of David Allan Coe’s retort to Jimmy Buffet…

This is great. If this was the first song you ever heard from Aaron Watson you would think he was a pop country star, but after listening to his new album and past albums you would realize why they call him the honky tonk kid. His new album has some great collaborations with Willie Nelson, Elizabeth Cook, Kevin Fowler, and Josh Abbott as well as a collaboration with former PBR champion Justin McBride. Thank god for red dirt and roots music to put Music Row to the test.

Should I feel guilty for liking this song even if it wasn’t a parody? I might be part of the problem guys. I will say though Watson’s “rapping” sounds more spoken word to me than Aldean’s “I can totally rap guys! Biscuits, fix it!”

I actually think that country rap has been rejected by the country music audience. Country radio is the best reflection of what country music audiences want, so let’s analyze that. “Dirt Road Anthem” is the only country rap song that has hit #1 on country radio. None of the Colt Ford songs have even been played by radio. Even Tim McGraw’s “Truck Yeah” failed to break into the top 10 on the charts, despite McGraw’s longtime popularity and strength on country radio.

Country music audiences may be willing to accept massive doses of rock, but they seem to have drawn the line at rap. Rap music is simply too musically different from even mainstream country music to be remotely palatable to country audiences. It’s also important to remember that many of the new pop country fans flocked to country music precisely in order to escape the rap-style music that dominates modern pop.

Maybe you do not think that rap is music because the only “rap” “music” you are exposed to is the mainstream form of it. I think that many people would get offended by you saying that rap is not music. Just like country music, rap and hip hop have deep roots and a lot of culture. I think that most rap and hip hop artists have just as much talented as country artists. They just take their talented in a different direction than country artists. I do think that there are tons of talented rap/hop hop artists and talented country artists that are out there. They are just overshadowed by the top 40 artists controlled by record companies. Maybe you think that rap is not music because you just do not like it. Like it or not, it still seems ignorant to call it “not music.” Music is to each his own.

I would also like to hear the explanation of why rap isn’t music. Instruments or not, rap/hip-hop is a skill not everyone has. Therefor a bit of talent is involved. It’s good(for a lack of better words) to put you in a certain mood, and, done tastefully, can give you a sense of comfort or confidence.

I saw him do this song in Gruene Hall back in July, it was pretty hilarious in person. “No, ya’ll stop that, don’t sing along with this or I’m gonna stop.” And there were a couple ditzy college girls in front of me who didn’t seem to get it.

love that somebody as good as Aaron finally pointed out how shitty this kind of country is but he already made it pretty clear in the song something with a swing. Just heard the entire album and it was really good, Aaron still got it:)

Great point! My favorite is “The Right Place.” As soon as I hear the opening “Aw don’t you wanna hear a little sawin on the fiddle and the cryin of a steel guitar” I want to jump up and say “YES PLEASE!”

Parody or not, he could get a smart-ass singer in the mainstream to cover it. I could totally see someone like Blake Shelton – who is a huge student of country music, believe it or not – cutting the song. It’d probably be a hit too. Aaron may make more $$ off of his parody than many of his own albums.

On a side note I wouldn’t consider “Truck Yeah” a rap song. Honestly, if people think that song is rap, they have no idea what rap actually is. That’d mean all those classic recitation songs and many of Charlie Daniels finest are ‘rap’ songs too.

The only issue i have with it, is they call them parody, then they ride the damn song like its their number one horse in the race. If anyone writes another stupid rap parody make sure everybody who hears it, can tell its a joke without having to do some research.

As a huge Aaron Watson fan I cheer when he sings this BECAUSE its a parody full of cliches and non-country nonsense. Definately not because thats what I want to hear from him. I always say he does Jason Aldean better then Jason himself lol.

First Granger Smith,now this.Is this going to be a new trend in the Texas/RedDirt scene? Going to get old quick.Make fun of the Nashville boys,then go play with Kevin Fowler who is every bit of a lame,ridiculous laundry lister as anyone in Nashville is,lol

No,I’m saying they should be careful on trashing Nashville acts or songs, when there is getting to be just as much awful music on the Texas scene. I used Fowler as an example.I mean cmon,the Bo Phillips song,Smith,now this.What’s next a full on Red Dirt Cletus Judd? To each their own I guess.

As for hypocrsiy, I think Aaron Watson made it clear that he isn’t trying to make a huge statement, but just poking fun at something he thinks is silly. I saw him play it and he said (perhaps diplomatically) that he wasn’t doing it to bash anyone. So I don’t see any hypocrisy because some Texas singers are not that true to the roots.

What Bo Phillips song you are talking about?

I will acknowledge that a lot of Red Dirt/Texas Country Singers have equally cheesy lyrics as the worst Nashville acts, but in terms of music, they still play music that resembles country.

Fowler is probably among the worst of the lot, IMO, but he is still better than about 75% of what is played on the radio.

Also, let’s not forget he has been recording in Nashville a lot recently. And I think it’s pretty clear that if you look at how Jack Ingraham and Pat Greene–who were already among the most poppy of the Texas singers– changed for the worst when they went to Nashville.